U.S. Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla. 5) and state Senator Constance Johnson (D-Oklahoma City) are both vying for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, who’s stepping down at the end of this year due to health problems. With three weeks left until Election Day, one of those candidates has a lot of catching up to do.
When Lankford took the stage at Oklahoma State University to debate Johnson last week, he compared his experience on Capitol Hill to something most people could relate to.
“Four years ago, walking into the House of Representatives, it was more like walking back on campus at a middle school cafeteria lunch because a middle school lunch prides itself on trying to insult each other and run each other down and say crazy weird things,” Lankford said. “And as I walked into congress, I thought, ‘That's exactly what this is.’”
It’s time for politicians to treat each other with respect, he said.
It’s clear Lankford is comfortable in front of a microphone. He’s relaxed, polished, and is always quick with the right answer, something 24-year-old Matt Harader has seen throughout the candidate’s political career.
“He just knew what he was doing. And he's been doing it for years in Congress so he knows how it works, and he probably knows he has the majority vote right now, so there's not much he has to worry about,” Harader said.
Right now, Lankford, a Republican, leads Johnson, a Democrat, by at least 30 points, depending on what poll you’re looking at.
Tyler Johnson teaches political science at The University of Oklahoma. He says one of Lankford’s biggest assets is name recognition. That’s something that will be hard for his opponent to match.
“It's incredibly difficult for folks who are looking to climb that ladder from the state level to the federal level to inform voters about a wide variety of positions,” Professor Johnson said. “They're lucky if they're able to get people to remember their name and link that with a party, let alone a handful of issue positions."
He says regardless of her recognition, State Senator Johnson is focusing on positions where she can draw a distinct difference. She’s trying to mix it up and talk about things Oklahomans aren’t used to hearing, like when she touched on healthcare during last week’s debate.
“We have a healthcare proposal for the first time in 50 years, that is actually making a difference in the lives of people who are not only unable to afford insurance but to have access to meaningful and affordable and quality healthcare,” Senator Johnson said.
“The Affordable Care Act means that people who were not insured before, millions are now insured,” she said.
As hard as it may be for those issues to stick with voters, political science professor Johnson says focusing on those unique issues could be enough to swing some people over to the state senator’s side.
Matt Harader, age 24, says candidate Johnson’s stance on healthcare reaffirmed his choice for Election Day.
“My family has been denied for preexisting conditions, and it's been pretty expensive when they got approved, so that one part alone in the Affordable Care Act has helped my family a lot, and I feel like it could help more people,” he said.
Harader says he has a lot of friends who feel the same way about Johnson. They like her approach, but most of his friends aren’t even planning on voting. After all, Harader says a win for State Senator Johnson does seem like it could be a stretch.
Political science professor Tyler Johnson agrees. It’s late in the game, and the state senator is already coming from behind.
But even if she doesn’t win this election, professor Johnson says the steps the candidate is taking now could lay the groundwork for future political races she, or another Oklahoma Democrat, may jump in to.
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